At the time of going to print it became clear and official that Donald Trump had landed the US presidency for the second time.
And, although the Lesotho government had not yet congratulated him on his historic victory, leaders from across Africa had joined their counterparts in other continents in tweeting their congratulations.
“Zimbabwe stands ready to work with you”, wrote Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu expressed hope that Trump’s second term would bring “reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States”.
Ok, the niceties aside, we believe Africans’ question is ‘will a Trump administration be good for the continent?’ During his first stint in the White House critics accused him of dismissing Africa, having cut some funding and curbed immigration.
No one on this side of the Atlantic has forgotten that the last time Trump was in the White House, he described African nations as ‘shithole countries’. Trump’s defence secretary, Mark Esper wrote in his memoir that Trump once told him that the US should shut down all its embassies in Africa.
This obvious contempt for this continent would probably mean Trump’s second term would at best put little energy into relations with Africa even if he doesn’t actively downgrade relations.
However, he did also introduce schemes to increase investment in Africa – schemes that remain operational three years after he left office.
Big uncertainties for some African nations about the next US administration include the fate of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) and the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar).
So, how Trump might approach Africa in this new climate is still anyone’s guess.
